HDF AND HDF-EOS WORKSHOP I (1997) Source: http://hdfeos.org/workshops/ws01/presentations/linkwind/linkwind.ppt

1. LinkWinds
The Linked Windows Interactive Data System
The Application of LinkWinds to EOS
Principal Investigator:
Lee S. Elson- JPL
Co-Investigator:
Mark Allen - JPL
LSE
9/8/97

2. LinkWinds
The Linked Windows Interactive Data System
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Program Objectives
System Description
Services
User Interface Design
Applications Suite
Databases
Availability and Use
Present and Future Activities: WebWinds
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3. LinkWinds
The Linked Windows Interactive Data System
Program Objectives
• Develop a software testbed to support the rapid prototyping and
execution of interactive data analysis/visualization applications.
• Provide a suite of tools to interactively manage databases and
visualize, explore and analyze large multivariate and multidisciplinary
data sets.
• Develop a user interface which allows maximum data and tools
accessibility with a minimum of training. It must be easy to learn and
easy to retain.
• Provide system design and tools to make the testbed environment
accessible to application development by users.
LSE
9/8/97

4. LinkWinds
The Linked Windows Interactive Data System
LinkWinds System Description
• A visual data analysis environment built on an object-oriented model.
Objects on screen are data, displays and controls. Displays can contain
controls.
• Objects are made interdependent by interactively linking them. Links
are one-way message paths and allow simultaneous manipulation of a
variety of applications. Functions like a graphical spreadsheet.
• A standard GUI with linking rules results in a direct manipulation
interface which is highly interactive, easy to learn and retain, and
uniform across all applications.
• Network-based groupware (MUSE) requires minimum bandwidth.
Useful for cooperative scientific research, remote tutorials and user
feedback. Language used also supports rerun script, journal and macro
capability.
LSE
9/8/97

5. LinkWinds
The Linked Windows Interactive Data System
LinkWinds Services
LinkWinds provides a wide range of services which include:
• 2- and 3-dimensional graphical displays of data.
• Hard copy of graphical displays, data and text.
• Interactive color manipulation and palette creation.
• Animation creation and display.
• Interactive data subsetting either at the input or output.
• A continuously updated journal and a macro capability.
• A context-sensitive help system.
• Network support for collaborative work.
LSE
9/8/97

6. LinkWinds
The Linked Windows Interactive Data System
LinkWinds User Interface Design
• “Direct manipulation’* user interface design.
• Continuous representation of displays and controls.
• Run by physical actions rather than complex syntax.
• Rapid response to operations with immediately visible effects.
• All operations are reversible.
• Benefits of user interface.
• Novices learn functions through demonstration and exploration.
• Knowledgeable intermittent users retain operations.
• Actions shown immediately, so direction can be changed if
necessary.
• Actions predictable and easily reversed.. User in control with less
anxiety.
*Ben Schneiderman, Designing the User Interface, 1992
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9/8/97

7. LinkWinds
The Linked Windows Interactive Data System
Applications Suite
Controls
Slider
3-Axis Slider
3-Axis Rotator
2-Axis Rotator
Pan-Zoom Slider
Combine Slider
LightTool
Contour
Animator
Frame Animator
ColorTool
ColorFilter
Display/Controls
Combine
Compare
Data Subset
LinePlot
Histogram
Image
Utilities
Draw
FileFinder
SnapShot
Displays
Plane
Polar
Globe
Isoview
Orthoview
PointInterp
PointSample
VolumeView
ValueView
VectorView
Profile
2D Scatter Plot
3D Scatter Plot
TrackPixel
LSE
9/8/97

8. LinkWinds
The Linked Windows Interactive Data System
Linking Rules
1. If an empty window appears, fill it by
linking a data object to it.
2. Link control objects to other windows
you wish to manipulate.
LSE
9/8/97

9. LinkWinds
The Linked Windows Interactive Data System
Data Object Interactivity
• Displays metadata.
• Supports subsetting operations
• pixel decimation
• Sub-region selection.
• Data value renormalization.
• Concatenation of data.
• Handles 4-dimensional data.
LSE
9/8/97

10. LinkWinds
The Linked Windows Interactive Data System
Database Formats Accepted
LinkWinds accepts the following data file formats:
• Raw binary data in 4 and 8 byte floating point and, signed and unsigned
1, 2, and 4 byte integer. ASCII text data.
• The NCSA Hierarchical Data Format. (Version 4.1r1 available on request)
• The GSFC Common Data Format.
• The NCAR Net Common Data Format.
• The Planetary Data System headers.
• The Astrophysics Flexible Image Transport System.
• Two data formats of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite.
• The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment data format.
• The SGI native image format (RGB).
LSE
9/8/97

11. LinkWinds
The Linked Windows Interactive Data System
Database Ingestion
There are currently three methods for accessing and ingesting data files:
• The user integrates database files into LinkWinds by editing up to three
text files. These text files define the data file location, data description
and associated metadata. Templates of these text files are provided with
explanations. If the data have a sufficiently informative header, entry in
only one text file is needed. That is the filename with wildcards
accepted.
• A FileFinder is provided to add data search paths, or search out and
retrieve desired data files. These subsequently appear in the LinkWinds
menu. If no metadata is provided, default values are provided.
• Data files can be retrieved using a World Wide Web browser, and are
immediately listed in the LinkWinds menu.
LSE
9/8/97

12. LinkWinds
The Linked Windows Interactive Data System
LinkWinds 2.2 Distribution and Use
• After 2 beta releases, version 2.2 was released on January 22, 1997.
• This version is available for SGI, SUN, HP, IBM and PC-Based Linux
workstations.
• It is currently distributed free through our World Wide Web site:
“http://linkwinds.jpl.nasa.gov”
• It is available to any one who fills out and accepts our license
agreement.
• Several other Web sites point to our site, including: NCSA, GSFC,
Univ. of North Carolina.
• More than 1900 copies have been downloaded so far, and they are
currently being picked up at the rate of 4 - 5 per day.
LSE
9/8/97